Pemba, Mozambique
Place in Cabo Delgado Province, Mozambique / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Pemba [ˈpẽbɐ] is a port city and district in Mozambique. It is the capital of the province of Cabo Delgado and lies on a peninsula in Pemba Bay.
Pemba | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 12°58′S 40°33′E | |
Country | Mozambique |
Provinces | Cabo Delgado Province |
City Status | 1904 |
Area | |
• Total | 19.79 km2 (7.64 sq mi) |
Elevation | 30 m (100 ft) |
Population (2017 census) | |
• Total | 201,846 |
• Density | 10,000/km2 (26,000/sq mi) |
Area code | (+258) 272 |
Climate | Aw |
The town was founded by the Niassa Company in 1904 as Porto Amélia, after the Queen of Portugal, at the peninsula's northwestern tip and has grown around a port. The city is renowned for its Portuguese colonial architecture.[1] It was renamed Pemba at the end of Portuguese rule, in 1975. The city's inhabitants are primarily Swahili, Makondes, Macuas and Mwanis. Local languages that are spoken are Kimwani and Makhuwa, although Portuguese is widespread.
Pemba is also renowned as being a prime destination for water sport and diving enthusiasts as a coral reef lies close to the shore. Pemba's bay shelters a wide range of soft and hard coral, attracting diverse sea species including rare sunfish, potato bass, dolphins, whales, and sea turtles, making it a haven for marine photographers and enthusiasts. Pemba offers excellent whale watching, as from June to October, humpback whales migrate through these waters. It has increasingly become a tourist destination, particularly for upper-middle-class Mozambicans and South Africans. There are now 5 flights a week from Johannesburg to Pemba, several hotels, restaurants, and other forms of entertainment and activities[2] In the centre of Pemba, there is an authentic local market or souk, where arts and crafts, as well as traditional silverware can be bought. Pemba is the closest major city and airport for those who wish to visit the Quirimbas Islands and Quirimbas National Park.